We knew that the mighty Arenal Volcano lied somewhere near the horizon. The white clouds had engulfed it to its base. We posed for a photo below the arch of the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park imagining the volcano behind us. The surroundings had turned green with the rain and the ride to the park passing the huge Arenal lake had already peaked our enthusiasm for the hike.
The Mistico Park is among the top places in La Fortuna / Arenal area to hike in the rainforest and get up close with its flora and fauna. It is one of the best destinations to experience Costa Rica’s hanging bridges trails. Here is a guide to the park to help you make the most of your visit.
How to Reach the Mistico Park
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park lies 20 km to the west of La Fortuna town. The best way to reach the park is by driving as no public transport connects to the entrance of the park. The drive takes about half an hour from the town center of La Fortuna.
On the road to Mistico Park, you will cross the road intersection from where a left turn takes you to the entrance of the Arenal Volcano National Park. Instead of taking that left, keep driving forward until you meet the Arenal Lake. The road turns right from here. From the Boat Ramp Parking Area, take a sharp right to continue on the road towards the Mistico Park entrance.
You can also find Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park on Google Maps.
The town of La Fortuna is 114 km (71 miles) away from San Jose International Airport and 143 km (89 miles) away from Liberia International Airport.
History of the Mistico Park Arenal Hanging Bridges
The history of Mistico Park resonates with many other typical Costa Rican families. They show trust in nature and in turn get rewarded by nature.
In the early twentieth century, Adrián Castillo and Landelina RodrÃguez Sánchea, a married couple envisioned the potential of their inherited land at the foothills of Arenal Volcano. They knew that wealth lies in letting nature grow in its course. So they never touched a part of the mountainous land covered in forest.
Decades passed but the successors in the family now get to reap the benefits of the visionary outlook of that couple. But nothing comes without perseverance. The other members of the family also worked towards making Mistico Park what it is today. In the early twentieth century, they hired a company who helped set up and deliver the Arenal Hanging Bridges project and set it up for tourism. It took long 12 years, but at the end, the world got a beautiful place for a unique rainforest immersion experience.
Now Mistico Park is completely managed and run by the members of the original owner family of the land.
Note: We all have seen how over the past one year, so many businesses collapsed under one lashing strike of a global pandemic. So, as the world is gradually opening up for tourism, let us try to support the family run businesses like that of Mistico Park. And no, like all our posts, this is also not a sponsored post.
Arenal Hanging Bridges Trail Experience
Arenal hanging bridges trail at Mistico Park covers a distance of 3.2 km (1.99 miles). If you choose to take the shortcuts, you can cut down the distance to 1.9 km (1.2 miles). But we say, go for the full experience!
In spite of the name, Hanging Bridges Park, the trail is not just about the bridges. The rainforest, wildlife, waterfall and the gushing streams add to your experience of visiting the Mistico Park. We did a self-guided hike in this well-marked park.
Rufous Hummingbird Garden
We visited Mistico Park on an overcast day, with light intermittent showers. It brought the rainforest alive with lush green all around. The Rufous Hummingbird garden was our first stop few meters from the entrance. We found a gang of coatis playing by the path before we reached the garden. It is a beautifully landscaped garden where hummingbirds flutter around from one plant to another. The light shower probably made the hummingbirds hide, so might not be as many as Curi-Cancha Reserve, but we found few of them at the Mistico Park.
The Dense Rainforests and the Birding Trail
The park has mix of regular and hanging bridges spread across the trails. We got to the first hanging bridge, the Arenal Bridge, which was also the highest one at 55 meters (147 feet) from the ground, after crossing 3 regular bridges. This highest bridge helped us get acquainted with the feel of walking in the sky early on in the hike.
Arenal Bridge is one of the bridges supposedly having the Arenal Volcano view. But it was not a clear day and just the base of the volcano was visible. The rainforest got thick and dense with the trees hugging one another with hanging branches. There were uphill and downhill stretches along the trail and the rain turning it muddy, made the hike slightly tricky. However, the cool weather, the surrounding views and the sound of the jungle kept us going.
Here is a point to note that, there is a shortcut or a detour after the first hanging bridge. You will find a path on the right after the Arenal Bridge, that leads to the Jumping Pit-Viper Tunnel. However, this trail skips 3 hanging bridges and the Blue Morpho Waterfall. This trail is good for bird-watching, so if you plan to explore that, you can go and come back the same way to get back on the common trail.
On the common trail, the next two were the Bully Tree and Waterfall hanging bridges. We crossed these 2 bridges to head towards the Blue Morpho Waterfall. After couple of hundred meters, we found the entrance way to the waterfall on the right. This detour was bit strenuous as the trail went downhill with many steps and you can imagine how it felt on our way back!
Blue Morpho Waterfall
To reach the viewing platform of the 21 meter (69 feet) high Blue Morpho Waterfall, you will have to walk on a small bridge over a river. They call this bridge Mystic Bridge, probably because of the mystical surroundings of rainforest, river and waterfall?
As we stood close to the Blue Morpho Waterfall on the wooden viewing platform, the splash of water from the waterfall and the drops of rain caressed our already wet faces. This viewing platform and the surroundings look similar to that of the Tempo Waterfall at La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park.
Swimming is not allowed and hence, you can just spend some time on the platform few meters away from the waterfall. It was a nice break from the hike. Although we knew that there was an uphill task waiting for us.
While we are on the topic of waterfalls, according to us, your La Fortuna itinerary must include a visit to the La Fortuna waterfall and a day trip to Rio Celeste waterfall, two of the best waterfalls of Costa Rica.
Jumping Pit-Viper Tunnel
The next hanging bridge, Anthill, took us to the Jumping Pit-Viper Tunnel. The tunnel is named after the famous snake of the same name, endemic to Mexico and Central America. It was fun walking through the circular tunnel and emerge on the other side to see the lush rainforest again after momentary darkness.
The Last Stretch and the Longest Hanging Bridge
We reached the Fer-de-lance, the smallest hanging bridge in terms of length, in the park. The end of the hike was near, but the fun was not over yet. The next 3 regular bridges took us to the longest hanging bridge of the park, Tayra. The impressive 97 meter (368 feet) long bridge gave us the last view of the lush rainforest canopy and the birds chirping on the branches. The Mistico Park saved the longest for the last!
Hanging Bridges Information
Along the trail, you will cross 16 bridges, out of which 6 are hanging bridges. That is what earns this trail its name. The hanging bridges vary greatly in length and height.
The estimated time to complete the entire trail is approximately 2.5 hours. It took us the same amount of time on a rainy August morning with wet trails.
Here is a summary of the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges trail for your quick reference later.
- Total distance: 3.2 km (1.99 miles)
- Estimated time: 2.5 hours
- Total number of bridges: 16
- Total number of hanging bridges: 6
- Highest hanging bridge: Arenal Bridge, 55 meters (147 feet) in height
- Longest hanging bridge: Tayra Bridge, 97 meters (368 feet) in length
Another destination to enjoy the hanging bridges of Costa Rica is Monteverde. While you walk through the rain forest of Costa Rica at Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, at Monteverde, the hanging bridges take you over the cloud forest canopy of Costa Rica.
There are multiple adventure parks in Monteverde offering the hanging bridges experience, with the option of combining the hike with other activities like zip-lining. Read all the details in these posts:
Arenal Hanging Bridges: Entry Fees and Timings
In this section, you will find all the details needed to plan your self-guided hike on the Arenal Hanging Bridges trail at Mistico Park.
It is mandatory to make all tour reservations online on the Mistico Park website.
Entry Fees
The entry fees vary by age groups and by foreign visitor or domestic tourist.
For Foreign Nationals
- Adults (19-64 years): 26 USD
- Teens (11-18 years): 16 USD
- Seniors (65 years or more): 21 USD
- Kids (0-10 years): Free
For Costa Rican Citizens and Residents
- Adults and Teens (11-64 years): 15 USD
- Seniors (65 years or more): 10 USD
- Kids (0-10 years): Free
Mistico Park Hours and Hanging Bridges Tour Schedule
Mistico Park is open from 6:00 am to 4:30 pm. However the last entry is at 3:50 pm.
For self-guided walk on the hanging bridges trail, you can choose from 12 different slots, 6:00 am, 6:30 am, 7:00 am, 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 noon, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm.
Other Important Information
Parking: Secure free parking is available on site.
Restrooms: Restrooms are available near the reception front desk only. There are no restrooms along the course of the trail.
Restaurant: There is a restaurant near the reception front desk area. At the end of the hike, you can grab a bite here or sip on some refreshing Costa Rican coffee.
Guided Tours Offered by Mistico Park
If you wish to go for a guided walk in the rainforest of Arenal, Mistico Hanging Bridges Park offers the following tours. All of these are guided tours.
- Arenal Bird Watching Tour: Tour in search of different bird species, starting at 6:00 am.
- Natural History Guided Tour: Discovery tour of the flora and fauna of the rainforest.
- Mistico Night Walk: Rainforest tour in the darkness of night, looking for nocturnal species.
- Twilight Walk: Rainforest Tour duration covering sunset and the early part of the evening.
For special prices on combining different activities of La Fortuna along with Mistico Park, check out the Deals page of the park’s website.
Arenal Hanging Bridges: What to Wear and What to Pack
Footwear: Closed toed shoes are a must for Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. Without these you will not be entered inside the park.
Clothing: Wear hiking pants, preferably long pants, and tees.
Weather gear: Carry a raincoat, a must have on your Costa Rica packing list. At Mistico, you will be hiking in the rainforest, where the chances of rain are not nil even on a dry season day.
Drinking Water: Fill your (non-plastic) bottle with drinking water. It is a hike of more than 2 hours and there are no water stations on the trail.
Photo gear: Remember to take your camera device of your choice. Hanging bridges walk is one of the best things to do in Costa Rica. You would want to capture the memories.
Final Thoughts
The Mistico Park, with its diverse offerings, deserve a place in your La Fortuna itinerary. The hanging bridges and the regular ones running over the streams, the wildlife and the nature overlooking the Arenal Volcno, make it an unmissable activity in the area.
Plan your trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica:
- Bogarin Trail: Spotting birds and watching sloths in the wild.
- Eco Termales Hot Springs: A romantic hot springs experience.
- Arenal Volcano National Park: Hike on lava trails, nature trails, enjoy volcano view and lake view.
- Rio Celeste Waterfall in Tenorio Volcano National Park: An excellent day trip from La Fortuna and Arenal.
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